This practical guide to survival data and its analysis for readers with a minimal background in statistics shows why the analytic methods work and how to effectively analyze and interpret epidemiologic and medical survival data with the help of modern computer systems. The introduction presents a review of a variety of statistical methods that are not only key elements of survival analysis but are also central to statistical analysis in general. Techniques such as statistical tests, transformations, confidence intervals, and analytic modeling are presented in the context of survival data but are, in fact, statistical tools that apply to understanding the analysis of many kinds of data. Similarly, discussions of such statistical concepts as bias, confounding, independence, and interaction are presented in the context of survival analysis and also are basic components of a broad range of applications. These topics make up essentially a 'second-year', one-semester biostatistics course in survival analysis concepts and techniques for non-statisticians.

In this fully revised and updated edition, the editors have integrated a completely new set of contributions from the leading researchers in the field to describe the latest research in evolutionary medicine, providing a fresh summary of this rapidly expanding field 10 years after its predecessor was first compiled. It continues to adopt a broad approach to the subject, drawing on medically relevant research from evolutionary genetics, human behavioural ecology, evolutionary microbiology (especially experimental evolution of virulence and resistance), the evolution of aging and degenerative disease, and other aspects of biology or medicine where evolutionary approaches make important contributions. Evolution in Health and Disease describes how evolutionary thinking gives valuable insights and fresh perspectives into human health and disease, establishing evolutionary biology as an essential complementary science for medicine. Integrating evolutionary thought into medical research and practice helps to explain the origins of many medical conditions, including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, asthma, allergies, other autoimmune diseases, and aging. It also provides life-saving insights into the evolutionary responses of pathogens to antibiotics, vaccinations, and other human interventions. Why are we vulnerable to disease? Why are our bodies not better designed? Are unpleasant surprises in store as we use more antibiotics and vaccines? Why do we respond to inappropriately to so many modern conditions? How do cancers evolve? Why must we grow old? The book discusses answers to these and many other questions while suggesting new approaches to treatment and research. This research-level text is suitable for graduate-level students and researchers in the fields of evolutionary (Darwinian) medicine, evolutionary biology, anthropology, developmental biology, and genetics. It will also be of relevance and use to medical researchers and doctors.

In biological research, the amount of data available to researchers has increased so much over recent years, it is becoming increasingly difficult to understand the current state of the art without some experience and understanding of data analytics and bioinformatics. An Introduction to Bioinformatics with R: A Practical Guide for Biologists leads the reader through the basics of computational analysis of data encountered in modern biological research. With no previous experience with statistics or programming required, readers will develop the ability to plan suitable analyses of biological datasets, and to use the R programming environment to perform these analyses. This is achieved through a series of case studies using R to answer research questions using molecular biology datasets. Broadly applicable statistical methods are explained, including linear and rank-based correlation, distance metrics and hierarchical clustering, hypothesis testing using linear regression, proportional hazards regression for survival data, and principal component analysis. These methods are then applied as appropriate throughout the case studies, illustrating how they can be used to answer research questions. Key Features: * Provides a practical course in computational data analysis suitable for students or researchers with no previous exposure to computer programming. * Describes in detail the theoretical basis for statistical analysis techniques used throughout the textbook, from basic principles * Presents walk-throughs of data analysis tasks using R and example datasets. All R commands are presented and explained in order to enable the reader to carry out these tasks themselves. * Uses outputs from a large range of molecular biology platforms including DNA methylation and genotyping microarrays; RNA-seq, genome sequencing, ChIP-seq and bisulphite sequencing; and high-throughput phenotypic screens. * Gives worked-out examples geared towards problems encountered in cancer research, which can also be applied across many areas of molecular biology and medical research. This book has been developed over years of training biological scientists and clinicians to analyse the large datasets available in their cancer research projects. It is appropriate for use as a textbook or as a practical book for biological scientists looking to gain bioinformatics skills.

In 1969 the first edition of this book aimed to introduce the concepts of statistics and their medical application to readers with no formal training in this area. While retaining this basic aim, the authors have expanded the coverage in each subsequent edition to keep pace with the increasing use and sophistication of statistics in medical research.

This fifth edition has undergone major restructuring, with some sections totally rewritten; it is now more logically organised and substantially more user-friendly (with the addition of 'summary boxes' throughout the text) to incorporate the new statistical techniques and approaches that have made an appearance in the last nine years since the last edition. Also, some chapters or chapter headings are specifically marked to signify material that is generally a little more difficult than the material in which it is embedded - such sections or chapters can be omitted at first reading.

Several new chapters have been added - "Associations: Chance, Confounded and Causal?" explaining without any formulae the concepts underlying confounding, confidence intervals and p values, and the interpretation of associations observed in research investigations. The other new chapter considers sample size calculations in some detail and provides, in addition to the relevant formulae, useful tables which should give the researcher an indication of the order of magnitude of the number of subjects he or she might require in different situations.

Control of waterborne disease is a multi-disciplinary function relying on co-operation between engineers, public health professionals, toxicologists, environmental health officials and other professionals. With this in mind, Waterborne Disease: Ecology and Epidemiology provides a comprehensive overview of waterborne-related health problems for all such professionals with an interest in this significant world-wide problem. Each chapter follows a logical structure, focusing upon a specific disease group and presenting a detailed and authoritative examination of a given pathogen's microbiology, clinical aspects and diagnosis. Chapters also review the distribution of each pathogen in the aquatic environment and discuss outbreaks and sporadic disease from microbiological, epidemiological and water supply perspectives. With increasing awareness of environmental problems throughout the world, this unique volume provides timely and invaluable reading for medical practitioners, environmental health officers, public health professionals, water quality engineers, scientists and environmental regulators.

Since the identification of the first cases of the coronavirus in December 2019, there has been a significant amount of confusion regarding the origin and spread of the so-called 'coronavirus', SARS-CoV-2, and the cause of the disease COVID-19. Conflicting messages from the media and officials across different countries and organizations, the abundance of disparate sources of information, unfounded conspiracy theories on the origins of the virus, unproven therapies, and inconsistent public health measures, have all served to increase anxiety in the population. Where did the virus come from? How is it transmitted? How does it cause disease? Is it like flu? What is a pandemic? In this concise and accessible introduction, a leading expert provides answers to these commonly asked questions. This revised and updated edition now also covers how the virus mutates, how important these mutations are, how vaccines work, and what we can expect in the near and long-term future.

Since the publication of the second edition, many new Bayesian tools and methods have been developed for space-time data analysis, the predictive modeling of health outcomes, and other spatial biostatistical areas. Exploring these new developments, Bayesian Disease Mapping: Hierarchical Modeling in Spatial Epidemiology, Third Edition provides an up-to-date, cohesive account of the full range of Bayesian disease mapping methods and applications. In addition to the new material, the book also covers more conventional areas such as relative risk estimation, clustering, spatial survival analysis, and longitudinal analysis. After an introduction to Bayesian inference, computation, and model assessment, the text focuses on important themes, including disease map reconstruction, cluster detection, regression and ecological analysis, putative hazard modeling, analysis of multiple scales and multiple diseases, spatial survival and longitudinal studies, spatiotemporal methods, and map surveillance. It shows how Bayesian disease mapping can yield significant insights into georeferenced health data. The target audience for this text is public health specialists, epidemiologists, and biostatisticians who need to work with geo-referenced health data.

This book analyzes the development of medical big data projects in Japan.Japan is experiencing unprecedented population aging, and labor productivity has decreased accordingly. Big data analysis of the Japanese medical real-world database (RWD) has the potential to tackle this issue.To allow readers to gain an understanding of Japanese medical big data analysis, the book discusses the original Japanese system that generates medical RWDs in the hospital medical records system, the nationwide standardized health checkup system, and the public medical insurance system in Japan.After introducing four major big data projects in the healthcare-medical field in Japan, the book explains the importance of creating information standards to maintain data quality and to analyze medical big data. It enables readers to analyze which standards are installed in which RWDs, how the standards are maintained, and which issues are prevalent in Japan.This book also describes the ethical processes involved in big data projects involving medical RWDs in Japan.

This comprehensive workbook contains a variety of self-assessment methods that allow readers to test their statistical knowledge, put it into practice, and apply it in a medical context, while also providing guidance when critically appraising published literature. It is designed to support the best-selling third edition of Medical Statistics at a Glance, to which it is fully cross-referenced, but may be used independently of it. Ideal for medical students, junior doctors, researchers and anyone working in the biomedical and pharmaceutical disciplines who wants to feel more confident in basic medical statistics, the title includes: Over 80 MCQs, each testing knowledge of a single statistical concept or aspect of study interpretation 29 structured questions to explore in greater depth several statistical techniques or principles, including the choice of appropriate statistical analyses and the interpretation of study findings Templates for the appraisal of clinical trials and observational studies, plus full appraisals of two published papers to demonstrate the use of these templates in practice Detailed step-by-step analyses of two substantial data sets (also available at www.medstatsaag. com) to demonstrate the application of statistical procedures to real-life research Medical Statistics at a Glance Workbook is the ideal resource to test statistical knowledge and improve analytical and interpretational skills. Additional resources are available at www.medstatsaag.com, including: Excel datasets to accompany the data analysis section Downloadable PDFs of two templates for critical appraisal Links to online further reading Supplementary MCQs

Methods, just as diseases or scientists, have their own history. It is important for scientists to be aware of the genesis of the methods they use and of the context in which they were developed.

A History of Epidemiologic Methods and Concepts is based on a collection of contributions which appeared in "SPM International Journal of Public Health," starting in January 2001. The contributions focus on the historical emergence of current epidemiological methods and their relative importance at different points in time, rather than on specific achievements of epidemiology in controlling plagues such as cholera, tuberculosis, malaria, typhoid fever, or lung cancer. The papers present the design of prospective and retrospective studies, and the concepts of bias, confounding, and interaction. The compilation of articles is complemented by an introduction and comments by Prof. Alfredo Morabia which puts them in the context of current epidemiological research.

Biostatistics Decoded covered a large number of statistical methods that are mainly applied to clinical and epidemiological research, as well as a comprehensive discussion of study designs for observational research and clinical trials, two important concerns for the clinical researcher. In this second edition, new material is included covering statistical methods and study designs that are used to analyse research. Following the same methodology used in the first edition, the chapters are presented in two levels of detail, one for the reader who wishes only to understand the rationale behind each statistical method, and one for the reader who wishes to understand the computations Key features include: Extensive coverage of the design and analysis of experiments for basic science research Experimental designs are presented together with the statistical methods The rationale of all forms of ANOVA is explained with simple mathematics A comprehensive presentation of statistical tests for multiple comparisons Calculations for all statistical methods are illustrated with examples and explained step-by-step. This book presents biostatistical concepts and methods in a way that is accessible to anyone, regardless of his or her knowledge of mathematics. The topics selected for this book cover will meet the needs of clinical professionals to readers in basic science research.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the concept of "Total Exposure Health" and presents details on subject areas which make up the framework. It provides in-depth coverage of the science and technology supporting exposure and risk assessment. This includes advances in toxicology and the "-omics" as well as new techniques for exposure assessment. The book concludes with a discussion on bioethics implications, including ethical considerations related to genetic testing. Discusses advances in exposure monitoring Presents a systems biology approach to human exposures Examines how overall well-being translates to worker productivity Considers the link between work-related risk factors and health conditions Covers the study of genomics in precision medicine and exposure science Explores bioethics in genomic studies Aimed at the exposure professionals (industrial hygienists, toxicologists, public health, environmental engineers), geneticists, molecular biologists, engineers and managers in the health and safety industry as well as professionals in the public administration field.

1918-1919 saw the end of the Great War and the eruption of the largest epidemic in history, a pandemic of flu. Influenza struck half the world's population, killing 50-100 million people in less than a year. This work is the first examination of Britain's experience of the pandemic. But this is not only history, as well as telling the story of the "Spanish" influenza the book looks forward and considers the possibilities of future pandemics, including the dangers of bird flu. A "total" history, this book ranges from the spread of the 1918-1919 pandemic, to the basic biology of influenza, and how epidemics and pandemics are possible, to consider the demographic, social, economic and political impacts of such a massive pandemic, including the cultural dimensions of naming, blame, metaphors, memory, the media, art and literature. In many countries the pandemic precipitated the creation and expansion of public healthcare as nothing else ever could. Despite this, in subsequent times, the role and impact of the pandemic has been overlooked, an oversight this work redresses. The British story of the pandemic has never been told. Britain and the "1918-19 Influenza Pandemic" tells that story but also places it in its fuller context with extensive material from around the world. The book provides the most recent tally of the pandemic's impact, including the vast mortality, as well as questioning the apparent origins of the pandemic. An inter-disciplinary study, it stretches from history and geography through to medicine in order to convey the full magnitude of the first global medical "disaster" of the twentieth century.

Communicable Disease Epidemiology and Control Edited by Norman Noah King's College School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, UK, and Mary O'Mahony Public Health Laboratory Service, London, UK With the growing interest in communicable diseases and their control worldwide, largely due to new and re-emerging infections, there is a need for up-to-date information in this continually changing field. Timely and wide ranging, Communicable Disease: Epidemiology and Control addresses many of the contemporary issues and provides:
* Detailed and concise examination of management issues, such as commissioning and contracting, setting up an incident room, and legal aspects
* A practical approach
* An examination of a wide spectrum of issues in communicable diseases, including cholera, tuberculosis, Helicobacter pylori, and sexually transmitted diseases
This volume is an invaluable resource for microbiologists, epidemiologists and all professionals involved in public health.

This book provides practical guidance for statisticians, clinicians, and researchers involved in clinical trials in the biopharmaceutical industry, medical and public health organisations. Academics and students needing an introduction to handling missing data will also find this book invaluable. The authors describe how missing data can affect the outcome and credibility of a clinical trial, show by examples how a clinical team can work to prevent missing data, and present the reader with approaches to address missing data effectively. The book is illustrated throughout with realistic case studies and worked examples, and presents clear and concise guidelines to enable good planning for missing data. The authors show how to handle missing data in a way that is transparent and easy to understand for clinicians, regulators and patients. New developments are presented to improve the choice and implementation of primary and sensitivity analyses for missing data. Many SAS code examples are included the reader is given a toolbox for implementing analyses under a variety of assumptions.

Vector-borne diseases have increasingly emerged as significant causes of human illnesses worldwide, largely due to environmental changes (deforestation), population movements (migration and travelling), international trades, and buildup of drug resistance. These are presenting major challenge to the efficacy and use of conventional tools for controlling vector-borne diseases. Therefore, use of microbial approach for the control of vector-borne diseases is gaining importance. This book comprehensively reviews vector-borne diseases and their microbial control, emphasizing majorly on ecofriendly ways of microbial control.

Findings from the field of evolutionary biology are yielding dramatic insights for health scientists, especially those involved in the fight against infectious diseases. This book is the first in-depth presentation of these insights. In detailing why the pathogens that cause malaria, smallpox, tuberculosis, and AIDS have their special kinds of deadliness, the book shows how efforts to control virtually all diseases would benefit from a more thorough application of evolutionary principles. When viewed from a Darwinian perspective, a pathogen is not simply a disease-causing agent, it is a self-replicating organism driven by evolutionary pressures to pass on as many copies of itself as possible. In this context, so-called "cultural vectors"--those aspects of human behavior and the human environment that allow spread of disease from immobilized people--become more important than ever. Interventions to control diseases don't simply hinder their spread but can cause pathogens and the diseases they engender to evolve into more benign forms. In fact, the union of health science with evolutionary biology offers an entirely new dimension to policy making, as the possibility of determining the future course of many diseases becomes a reality. By presenting the first detailed explanation of an evolutionary perspective on infectious disease, the author has achieved a genuine milestone in the synthesis of health science, epidemiology, and evolutionary biology. Written in a clear, accessible style, it is intended for a wide readership among professionals in these fields and general readers interested in science and health.

In this intimate history of the extraordinary Black Plague pandemic that swept through the British Isles in 1665, Evelyn Lord focuses on the plague's effects on smaller towns, where every death was a singular blow affecting the entire community. Lord's fascinating reconstruction of life during plague times presents the personal experiences of a wide range of individuals, from historical notables Samuel Pepys and Isaac Newton to common folk who tilled the land and ran the shops. She brings this dark era to vivid life through stories of loss and survival from those who grieved, those who fled, and those who hid to await their fate.

Clinical Data Quality Checks for CDISC Compliance using SAS is the first book focused on identifying and correcting data quality and CDISC compliance issues with real-world innovative SAS programming techniques such as Proc SQL, metadata and macro programming. Learn to master Proc SQL's subqueries and summary functions for multi-tasking process. Drawing on his more than 25 years' experience in the pharmaceutical industry, the author provides a unique approach that empowers SAS programmers to take control of data quality and CDISC compliance. This book helps you create a system of SDTM and ADaM checks that can be tracked for continuous improvement. How often have you encountered issues such as missing required variables, duplicate records, invalid derived variables and invalid sequence of two dates? With the SAS programming techniques introduced in this book, you can start to monitor these and more complex data and CDISC compliance issues. With increased standardization in SDTM and ADaM specifications and data values, codelist dictionaries can be created for better organization, planning and maintenance. This book includes a SAS program to create excel files containing unique values from all SDTM and ADaM variables as columns. In addition, another SAS program compares SDTM and ADaM codelist dictionaries with codelists from define.xml specifications. Having tools to automate this process greatly saves time from doing it manually. Features SDTMs and ADaMs Vitals SDTMs and ADaMs Data CDISC Specifications Compliance CDISC Data Compliance Protocol Compliance Codelist Dictionary Compliance

As screening programs for HIV, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, genetic abnormalities and other risk factors continue to proliferate, difficult questions are continually raised concerning the psychological and behavioral effects on the participants. Although members of the public health community have debated the costs and benefits of screening programs for over three decades, these questions have become especially pertinent with the current emphasis on early disease detection and prevention. While advocates argue that risk notification provides the impetus for individuals to improve their health habits and seek early treatment, skeptics contend that risk screening can have an adverse labeling effect, leading to increased anxiety, work absenteeism, and fatalism.
Now, for the first time, the widely scattered body of research on the effects of risk factor screening is comprehensively reviewed and evaluated in this volume. Here, an internationally recognized group of expert contributors summarizes and discusses current knowledge about the psychosocial consequences of risk factor testing, taking into account individual differences, gender differences, risk status, and intervention strategies. Both the public health and behavioral science viewpoints are explored through up-to-date reviews and stimulating commentary. Bridging the gap between data, theory and public health policy, this volume is essential reading for researchers, professionals and policymakers concerned with the prevention of acute and chronic disease.

This Companion provides a comprehensive account of health and medical geography and approaches the major themes and key topics from a variety of angles. Offers a unique breadth of topics relating to both health and medical geography Includes contributions from a range of scholars from rising stars to established, internationally renowned authors Provides an up-to-date review of the state of the sub-discipline Thematically organized sections offer detailed accounts of specific issues and combine general overviews of the current literature with case study material Chapters cover topics at the cutting edge of the sub-discipline, including emerging and re-emerging diseases, the politics of disease, mental and emotional health, landscapes of despair, and the geography of care

This book contains the contributions to the 32nd Hemophilia Symposium, Hamburg 2001. The main topics are epidemiology, hemophilia, pediatric hemostasiology. The volume is rounded off by numerous free papers and posters on hemophilia, hemorrhagic diathesis, thrombophilic diathesis and associated topics.

COVID-19 has made differential impacts on countries and communities around the world. China, where COVID-19 started, has developed and utilized different types of technologies, including both traditional and disruptive technologies, to address the pandemic risks. Also, there have been many innovations in applying technologies in different contexts during the pandemic as well as in the post-pandemic recovery and preparedness aspects. This book covers some of these technological developments as well as the governance mechanisms for developing a technology and innovation ecosystem in a post-COVID-19 context in China. The book also explores the experiences and lessons learned from different types of technologies and their implementation in the post-COVID-19 period and highlights how they can be useful to prepare for future calamities.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Third International Symposium on Medical Data Analysis, ISMDA 2002, held in Rome, Italy, in October 2002. The 23 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected for inclusion in the book. The papers are organized in topical sections on data mining and decision support systems, medical informatics and modeling, time series analysis, and medical imaging.

This text focuses on areas of public health practice in which the systematic application of epidemiologic methods can have a large and positive impact. It describes how best to apply traditional epidemiologic methods for determining disease etiology to "real-life" problems in public health and health services research. Brownson and Petitti's much-needed book bridges the gap between theoretical epidemiology and public health practice, and covers a number of topics not addressed by other epidemiology texts with a focus on methods. This second edition contains a new chapter on the development and use of systematic reviews and one on epidemiology and the law. Each chapter includes one or more case studies intended to illustrate major points from the chapter and to provide a basis for teaching exercises. All of the chapters are authored by leading experts in the fields of epidemiology and public health, and all are fully revised and updated.
The book is intended for practitioners in epidemiology as well as for students in epidemiology and related disciplines that rely on epidemiologic methods and reasoning. It is a practical and informative book for use in academic institutions, federal agencies which have significant educational missions, state and local public health agencies, and health care organizations. By providing a resource of immense accessibility to several key audiences, this edition of Applied Epidemiology: Theory to Practice further extends the fields ability to make a real difference on behalf of better health for all.